Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



PATENTFD JULY 28, 1908.

Y Nb. 894,551.

I L. W'ALDEOK. MAIL BAG-,GATCHER AND DELIVERBR.

APIPLIOAI'IOIN FILED DEG-.16, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I WITNESSES lofezz w ldam? ATTORNEY larg n ld ci L. WALDEGK.

"MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVERBR. APPLICATION rips]; DEC. 16, 1907.

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W DB F f 15% A oo A \H WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

LORENZ WALDEOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 28, 1908.

Application filed December 16, 1907. Serial No. 406,597.

To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that I, LORENZ WALDEoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail- Bag Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in mail bag catchers and deliv erers, and has for its object to provide exceedingly simple and effective devices by which a mail bag may be delivered from a moving train to a station while at the same time a bag is received from the station by the train and this without injury to the bags or their contents. r

With these ends in view, thisinvention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its constru'ctionin detail, referring by letter to theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation showing a portion of a car and a station post,'the car carrying one part of the apparatus while the post carries a corresponding part thereof, by which the bags to be delivered to and from the train are suspended. Fig. 2, an enlarged plan view of the two delivering devices showing them in the position they assume when one is carried by the train and just reaches the point of catching one bag and delivering the other. Fig. 3, a similar view showing the transferring devices after they have both engaged the sheaves. Fig. 4, a similar view showing the traveling delivering device in a position where it has passed the stationary.

delivering device the sheaves having been transferred. Fig. 5, an enlarged detail of the rear bar of one of the sheaves showing a slightly modified form thereof, and Fig. .6, an enlarged front view of one of the suspending sheaves.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied I utilize two transfer devices A and B both identical in all respects except that one is intended to be secured to the arm A supported by the station post A while the other transfer device B is secured tothe arm B attached to the car B Therefore the description of one of these transfer devices will serve as a description of both. Each transfer device consists of the shuttle C wedge-shaped at the end and the springs D which are so curved as to act as latches for the suspending sheaves as hereinafter set forth. These springs are secured in any suitable manner to the arms A and B. A stop rod F projects downward and outward from the traveling transfer device B while a corresponding stop rod G projects upward and outward from the transfer device A. l H and H represent the suspending sheaves each of which consists of a frame having the rollers a journaled therein adapted to run upon the shuttles and be held against accidental'displacement by one of the latch springs D, and these frames also have an open loop 1) adapted to run upon the opposite shuttle whenthe sheaves are being transferred, and from the lower end of each of these frames depends a spring hook c by which the mail bags are suspended.

In practice when it is desired to transfer a bag of mail from a moving car to a station and receive another bag from said station the bag to be delivered from the car is suspended from the sheave and the latter is securedupon the rear end of the shuttle of the transferring device B while the bag to be taken up from the station is likewise suspended from the hook of a sheave and the latter is placed upon the forward end of the shuttle of the transfer device A.

In the passage of the train the forward end of the shuttle carried by the car will enter the open loop I) of the sheave supported upon the transfer device A and the open loop of the sheave carried by the transfer device B upon the train will pass over the rear end of the shuttle of the transfer device A, thus carrying these loops beneath the latch springs D Where they Will be held against accidental displacement. The movement of the train will bring the stop rod F into contact With the sheave up on the transfer device A while the sheave on the transfer device B willbe brought into contact With the stop rod G thus arrest- .ing the movement of the sheave carried by the transfer device B and leaving it upon the transfer device Awhile the sheave upon the transfer device A will be picked up by the transfer device B. This being accomplished the bags are readily removed, one to the car and the other to the station, and it is to be noted no damage will be done to the bags or the contents thereof, since they do not come in contact with any object being suspended from the sheaves. As the shuttles are double ended it will be seen that mail bags may be transferred from a train moving in either direction, and by the sheaves being shuttled and firmly held the bag delivered to the station cannot be drawn under the moving train as is now often the case.

If found desirable the springs D up on the transfer device A may be secured upon a cross bar (Z shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and these springs which are indicated by e in dotted lines will then extend nearer the ends of the shuttle, and stop rods f also shown in dotted lines would project from the cross bar at a distance from the center of the transfer device suflicient to stop the sheave before it reached the center of the device, thus preventing the two bags from coming in contact.

If found desirable the rear bar of each of the sheaves may be in the formof a housing in which is set a cushion 7t of any suitable material having a facing of metal *L, and this would modify the action of the springs D up on the sheaves as will be readily understood.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction here shown as these may be varied within certain limits without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, is-

l. A transfer device of the character described consisting of a shuttle, two latch springs located adjacent thereto, a stop rod projecting from the device, a sheave adapted to fit upon the shuttle and be held against accidental displacement by one of the latch springs, an open loop formed with the sheave or engagement by a corresponding shuttle, and means for suspending a mail bag from the said sheave, as specified.

2. The herein described combination of a bar, a shuttle secured at right angles to said i bar, the ends of said shuttles being wedgeshaped, two latch springs secured to the bar and so formed as to lie in proximity to the ends of the shuttle, a sheave, rolls journaled in said sheave adapted to run upon the shuttle, an open loop formed with the sheave adapted to engage the opposite shuttle, a stop rod projecting from the arm in such manner as to pick up the opposite sheave, as specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affiXed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I JOREN Z WAlJl )"ICOK.

WVitnesses EDw. W ANs'rrcn, S. M. GALLAGHER. 

